Coaches demand review for SEA Games boxers
JAKARTA (JP): Boxing coaches demanded the Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association (Pertina) evaluate boxers being trained for the Kuala Lumpur 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, following their poor performance in the just-concluded Golden Gloves boxing championships in Semarang.
"The national boxers did not show the quality expected of Indonesian representatives in an event as prestigious as the SEA Games," Husen Barakati of North Maluku was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.
Other coaches said most of the boxers who fared poorly in the Golden Gloves were in the 45-kilogram to 54-kilogram weight classes, which were thought to be strong points for Indonesian boxing.
"Boxers who failed in the event must be evaluated. We are concerned that they will bring catastrophe to the Indonesian boxing team, because they are actually meant to be our best athletes," said Togi Tobing of West Sumatra.
The coaches pointed out that Dickson Ton of East Nusa Tenggara won the light flyweight division in the Golden Gloves despite the presence of two national boxers, Roland Latuni and Alredo Rumbiak, in the division.
Another example given was Suwardoyo of Central Java, who won the flyweight title over three national boxers, Karel Muskanan, Peron Matulesi an Melky Lelemboto.
In the bantamweight division, Antonius Johni of South Kalimantan grabbed the title despite the presence of SEA Games squad members Juan Saparipan, Ricky Lotty and Afriadin.
"The national boxers are trained by a foreign coach from Cuba but they failed to perform better than the locally trained boxers," said Boy Kelung of Jakarta.
The coaches expressed their readiness to help prepare the national squad by forming four teams made up of non-national boxers for try-out purposes.
"But Pertina must accept the consequences if the national boxers lose to our boxers, and send our boxers to the SEA Games," said Hengky Kosmo of Central Kalimantan.
Pertina boxing project manager R. Mulyono admitted the national boxers had not yet peaked.
"The boxers are still in the physical fitness stage and have not yet begun technical drills. So it is natural they lost," he said.
"However, Pertina will study the suggestions of the coaches, and we will evaluate the results (of the Golden Gloves)," he added.
The head coach of the SEA Games squad, Carlos JP Torres, denied his boxers were not qualified to take part in the Games.
"All the national boxers performed well. But the problem is most of the judges did not count their clean hits. I suspect that there is something going on here."
In the Golden Gloves, Suwardoyo was named the best boxer while David Isikewar of Maluku, who fought in the lightweight division, was named favorite boxer. (har/nvn)